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[pancakeboy]

[Text him! Or do whatever, I'm not the police, and neither is he, thank God. Just specify if you want the more-fun-but-less-stable pre-11/20 guy or the grumpy third semester/postcanon guy. Pancake only for VRDR guys please, he's not third semester yet]

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[fogbornphantom]

Somebody has to believe in you.

[Is it naive? Certainly. He knows that, but at the same time...]

Yes, I know. It's saccharine beyond belief, but I can only hope that it means something more than the parasocial obsession I'm sure you receive from your fans.

[He's certainly done more for a self-proclaimed murderer than most people would.]

[pancakeboy]

Parasocial? Interesting you should put it that way. What else is it, do you think, when we see our own face and project onto it?—other than a peculiar form of narcissism?...

[But it does mean something. It means something even while it's fucking stupid. He gets the door, holding it for other-him, this time.]

Someone believing in me won't change a thing I do. You know that. I can see what needs to be done, even if I dislike it. So—[with a deep sigh, as they step through, back out into the night]—I'll agree to your terms.

Now the question becomes, why do you believe me? Besides the saccharine bullshit, of course.

[fogbornphantom]

[He can't help but chuckle as he slips through the door, waiting outside for his counterpart to follow.]

You mean besides the fact that you saved my life, have exposed more vulnerability to me than I think you likely have to almost anyone, treated Hawk with immense care and respect, were willing to work in my kitchen and stayed for the duration of our get together? And let's not forget the way you tucked in my younger self.

[He brings a hand to his hip, watching his counterpart very, very closely.]

I think you've shown plenty of reason for me to give a shit. And in turn, I have still respected your secrecy.

[pancakeboy]

[And they stand in the doorway, considering each other; rather than placing a hand on his hip, he folds his arms. The moment stretches.

None of those things mean a damn, he wants to say. It doesn't matter what I feel or think, or what I might conclude is right, or what I might prefer to do. It doesn't matter how I behave, or what I say, or who I charm. In the end, there will always be a necessary course of action, an order or a choice, and that's the one I'll take.

He says none of it.] I didn't tuck you in.

I take it we're heading for the police HQ? [Turning on his heel, he starts to walk. It would make sense, given the very little he's gleaned from Sae on this.]

[fogbornphantom]

[He shakes his head, following along.]

They used to work in closer proximity to the police, but due to Public Safety's distrust in Kirijo-san, it became too much of a liability. They had actually attacked one Shadow Operatives laboratory not long after a series of events unfolded involving mind control, a plane hijacking, and the sudden return of the Midnight Channel.

[It's a lot, of course. So much had happened in just a few days.]

So, where we really want to go is to one of the primary Kirijo Group facilities. Fortunately, I happen to know the way.

[So he'll go ahead and take the lead here, seeing how it's his realm of expertise.]

[pancakeboy]

[Sure, he'll follow along in turn. He doesn't comment about secrecy; Kirijo Group facilities are not exactly hard to find. Plane hijackings, for that matter, are not exactly ten a yen....]

Listen to you. Nobody's ever asked me to deal with a hijacked plane.

[Or to hijack one, for that matter. Now there's a thought.]

[fogbornphantom]

Sho Minazuki had quite the formidable power set. It's my understanding that he brainwashed a bunch of innocent civilians to carry out the hijacking. Funny, really, when he was a boy whom I'd met a few times over the course of the prior year.

[At least the compressed distances make it easier for the very imposing and businesslike Kirijo facility to draw near. It won't be long.]

I believe there was a point early on where Sho-san was a consideration for the cognitive anomalies case, but the way he manipulated those civilians was only temporary, whereas the cognitive anomalies were more long lasting and far greater in range and scope.

[pancakeboy]

More like the psychotic breakdowns. [Yeah, this isn't funny at all. The similarities area already getting under his skin.]

Did you say his father used him as a lab rat?

[fogbornphantom]

Shuji Ikutski. He was the advisor of SEES, which preceded the Shadow Operatives, and had a history with Kirijo-san's grandfather. He performed ghastly experiments to create artificial Persona users, including Sho-san, and his ultimate goal was to summon Death and bring about the Fall.

[They reach the front doors. Technically, they are after hours, but there is a PIN pad. Akechi inputs a code, and the doors open for them.]

[pancakeboy]

[And despite the speed of it, he shoulder-surfs the PIN as it's entered, committing it to memory. Why wouldn't he? Something tells him it shouldn't be that easy, though.... he'd expect armed guards, besides anything else. If this was a normal situation.

He processes his counterpart's information as they go, in silence, leashing his scepticism. Eventually...]

It seems wherever you go, there are vile adults looking to use children as weapons. [Not that he's admitting anything.] It's a little unnerving to realise how many cataclysms I've barely avoided. And one likely coming up.

[fogbornphantom]

Then there are the incidents prior to Tartarus and the fall. I really ought to gather more information from Toudou-san the next time our paths cross, if only for curiosity's sake.

[The main foyer seems about what you'd expect from a wealthy business HQ. Everything is pristine. Spacious. There are chairs for waiting. There's a front desk where normally some manner of staff would greet them.

Akechi navigates past all of that, guiding his counterpart down a hall. There are some escalators leading to higher levels. Elevators as well, but eventually they reach a point with some very fortified doors and a sign that reads 'Authorized Personnel Only.'

Akechi pulls out a card, swipes it, and the doors unlock, but that's only the first phase. As they venture inside, there's an elevator door, with another pin pad, but that's not all. There seems to be a place to scan fingerprints. A retinal scanner, too.

He types in a different pin, then follows up by removing a glove just long enough to scan his fingerprint and then follows up with an eye.

Access Authorized. Welcome, Goro Akechi.

The elevator door opens, and he beckons his other self inside.]

Well, shall we?

[pancakeboy]

[It's more like his celebrity trappings than anything in his secret life. The place is insanely flash; it makes the Diet look like a cheap retirement home—which, in fairness, is pretty much what it is.

And he knows well enough how little authorized personnel means; you can be as authorised as you like, and still be a poison inside, the worm in the apple. Two PINs, a swipe card, two biometrics, physical barriers....]

Any retinal surgery I should know about? [It's almost bright; he's kidding. They move inside; he sounds, believe it or not, impressed.] Look at this place.

[fogbornphantom]

I made a pact that swapped my eyes with the eyes of a demon so that I may see forbidden secrets mankind could never comprehend.

[It's said with a very sharp, playful edge.

There's a selection of options here. Shadow Operatives Meeting Room, Anti-Shadow Weapon Maintenance, Research and Development, Metacognitive Monitoring Facility, and more. He selects Research and Development, and the elevator hums to life.]

[pancakeboy]

[And, of course, his eye fell straight on Anti-Shadow Weapon Maintenance; he's a bit disappointed that's not their destination. Oh well.]

You really need to use Call of Chaos more. [It's almost as playful, though the edge is darker.]

What's "Metacognitive Monitoring"? [For some reason, it reminds him of their talks about Maruki.]

[fogbornphantom]

I don't think the elevator is the best place for that.

[Very tight space, and who knows what he'd do under its influence? Ooh, ah...

But the question is a fair one.]

Essentially, it is where we monitor Shadow-related activity and other metacognitive phenomena. Tokyo has had rather high detections for quite a while, climbing steadily as the cognitive anomalies became more commonplace. The existence of the Metaverse ultimately wasn't that surprising when it came down to it.

[pancakeboy]

[... he takes another look at that button, as if it's hiding some of those secrets other-him didn't give his eyes for. That's... news.]

So what was the problem? Purely that you couldn't identify Maruki? Or were you waiting for something, beyond a useful, reckless group of self-sacrificing kids?

[In other words, other-him: if there's an organisation like this monitoring Shadow activity, and use of the cognitive world, and has been all along... are they watching him? Why haven't they stopped him? Are there any more fronts he's exposed on?

His lonely island of secrets is starting to feel like an asteroid, surrounded by enemies in all three dimensions, and a few more besides.]

[fogbornphantom]

Knowing there is another form of the cognitive world is not the same as knowing who is using it. That a force strong enough to replace Igor and force his attendants out of the Velvet Room already warranted caution, and the fact that Maruki is capable of rewriting cognition meant that caution was key.

[They didn't know the limits to his power, and he had already affected so many. Ergo, there was only so much the Shadow Operatives could do.

Akechi sighs, bringing a hand over his chest.]

Ergo, they enlisted me as an undercover operative. I could pass as an ordinary high school student, and my place on the roster was a very well kept secret. Margaret, Yu's former Velvet Room attendant, was placed at Shujin under the guise of an ordinary teacher, and I was slotted comfortably into her class.

The pieces were all carefully placed in such a way that would be advantageous to me without drawing too much attention.

[The elevator stops. The doors slide open. It would seem they have arrived.]

[pancakeboy]

That would throw a few more spokes in the wheel. If Ren is secretly also a Shadow Operative. [He blows some air through his teeth.] I'd sleep better tonight if I could wholly rule that out—though I know you've said you're connected to them because of Inaba.

[Ren's homeroom teacher is... well, the less said about her the better, since she makes Akechi's head spin. But he doesn't think she's a "Velvet Room attendant", from what little he's heard.

He peers out of the elevator, curious as hell. Imagine if they are watching him, though. If he was as careless about ingress and egress as the Phantom Fucking Clowns.]

[fogbornphantom]

I'd be surprised if Ren was an Operative, since it sounds as though he's under a similar predicament in your world. Sent to Tokyo on probation, very abruptly obtained the MetaNav. Morgana found me first, and ultimately I was roped into Phantom Thievery, but if both of our Rens are being misled by the false Igor, then that's another point of commonality, even if my Ren has since learned the truth.

[He'll lead them down the hall. It's another clean laboratory environment. He leads his counterpart down the winding hall, past rooms with various laboratory facilities, until he reaches a room with another secure lock. It's a repeat of what happened with the elevator. PIN, retinal, fingerprint scan.

The doors slide open, and it isn't long before a selection of evokers can be found on display, as if they'd just walked into an arms dealer.

There's a smaller display with some dog-sized shock collars and a small one that might even fit a cat, though that one is set aside and marked as an experimental product.]

[pancakeboy]

[He's nodding at the story, which he's heard before, listening for new details and finding none; he gleans this PIN, as he did the last. That card is a little bit of a problem; his alternate clearly carries it everywhere he goes....

He steps up to the rack of evokers, eyes gleaming—though he does look at those...] Are those for animals?

[But he's looking over the display with an expert eye.] How do these differ? Do they differ, in effect?

[fogbornphantom]

Yes. Koromaru-kun is a shiba inu capable of using a Persona, and once they met Morgana, I suppose they gained a vested interest in providing him one in case of an emergency.

[He moves over to the display, gazing up at it with crossed arms.]

The differences are mostly cosmetic. At the end of the day, an Evoker is an Evoker- meant to trick the body into thinking it's on the verge of death to prompt one's Persona to manifest.

[pancakeboy]

[A dog? It takes him a moment to get over that—though yes, he did smirk at the thought of Morgana in a shock collar. That fucking cat, seriously. Reaching up, he picks an Evoker that looks similar in configuration and weight to what he's used to—and freezes.

The thing feels unsettling in his hand; wrong, somehow. Gritting his teeth, he turns it over to knock out the magazine, as if the act is utterly mundane to him, which it is, and—it doesn't have one.]

Oh, come on. [It's difficult to summon his usual scorn, though. This thing feels really creepy.]

[fogbornphantom]

The point isn't to kill. It's to stimulate a stress response that provokes the Persona into arising in order to protect its host. Using it does cause some recoil, but it is not a weapon.

[In short, no need for bullets, if it's purely the visual association of a gun that causes it.]

[pancakeboy]

[Rather than take anyone's word for that, he checks the thing doesn't somehow snap open at the top, like a manual revolver. It resolutely fails to do so. He weighs it in his hand, tries his finger against the trigger. Everything about how he handles the thing is utterly routine.]

No safeties, either. Seems about right. The thing feels like it wants to kill me.

[It should seem ridiculous that, essentially, a toy gun can trigger such a stress response. But model guns work in the Metaverse. It could work.]

[fogbornphantom]

Just be careful not to use it in the Metaverse. I've no doubt it would function much like Iwai-san's model guns.

[Whether or not it would function that way in the TV world... it's possible, given the precedent with his toy gun, but hm. That's a tough call.]

But if you wish to test it out, I'd suggest we relocate to somewhere a bit less confined. Even if it's fake, I'm not so sure I'd like to see headquarters ravaged by Loki.